A toast to our future
by Eszie
Summary: *Sequel to 'I won't let you down'*  It's been a year since Arthur has been back from the Impostors, and things do change a lot within a year
1. Chapter 1

**A toast to our future**

**Morning**

It was just another day at the end of July in the United Kingdom. The day just started and people started to go to work and those who had children, had to stay home or bring the kids to someone else. But it was also another day to save the world for the U.Z.Z. agents.

Which meant that Anita Knight should be going to work now. She went to the kitchen to see if her father was there.

Before she was born, Arthur Knight had been a Special Agent at U.Z.Z. But once Anita was born, he decided to give up the dangerous job and become a teacher. By the time Anita turned eight, her father had been abducted by the Impostors. Nobody could found them, but a year ago, Victor Volt and Anita Knight rescued him.

Ever since the rescue, Arthur stayed at Anita's house and things were almost back to normal.

Arthur was at the kitchen table, reading the morning paper and finishing his breakfast. "Ah, good morning, Annie!" said Anita's father with a big smile and Anita chuckled. Annie was his nickname for her, ever since she was young.

"Good morning, dad." said Anita and she gave her father a kiss on his cheek. "Do you need to work today?"

Arthur nodded. "Three lectures today." he said. Since Arthur was back on the surface, he decided to go back to his old job. Being a history teacher was something he loved to do. "So I don't think I would home in time for dinner."

"That's alright. It's been quiet the last few days, so I'm guessing that it would be a busy day for me too." Anita looked to the clock. "I'll better be going. I'll see you tonight!"

"Be careful!" was the last thing Anita heard from the house and Anita smiled. It was so great to have her father back home.

* * *

><p>While Secret Agent Knight went to her work, the U.Z.Z. agents of Ray's team just finished their briefing. The U.Z.Z. agents always started a little bit earlier than the Secret Agents. Debriefing the last working day and the briefing of that day. To see if there would be any possible threat to the world.<p>

While most of his agents walked out of the room, Special Agent Ray looked to one of his female agents. Agent Kowalski. She was his female agent for three years now. "Kowalski, I'd like to talk to you." said Ray when he noticed that she wanted to leave the room.

"Yes, sir!" said Kowalski. She looked to the other blond, female agent. "I'll see you later, Eliza." she said and walked to Ray. "Why do you need me, sir?" she asked.

Ray took a deep breath. He had no idea how to say it and no idea how Kowalski would react to it. "Kowalski, would you like...well..." he started to stumble. "To go on a dinner with me?"

"A dinner, sir?"

"Well, to celebrate you being in my team for three years now."

"Just you and me, sir?" asked Kowalski and Ray nodded. "Isn't that strange?" Ray had no idea what to say to that. All he could do, was hoping that Kowalski wouldn't mind going on a date. "I'd love to go, sir." Kowalski eventually said.

"Good. I'll pick you up at six."

"Can I go now, sir?" asked Kowalski and Ray nodded.

After Kowalski left, Ray had to sit down for a moment. For the couple of months, he had the feeling he missed something. His agent Kent Trusted already started a family and even the sister of his best friend Victor Volt was pregnant. Ray missed someone when he was at home alone.

And he started to look to women differently. And Kowalski made his heart beat faster when he saw her after work.

"A penny for your thought." sounded and Ray looked up. In the door opening was Secret Agent Victor Volt. "Did you meet a new girl, Ray?"

Ray gave Victor a little smile as Victor approached him. "Something like that. But how is your sister?"

"It won't take long before the baby is born." said Victor with a big smile. He sat down onto the chair and looked at Ray. There was no way that he was going to drop the 'girlfriend-subject'. "But tell me about that woman. What does she looks like?"

Ray sighed. "She's blond and has blue eyes. And she is sweet." He couldn't tell Victor that he was in love with Kowalski. Both his and Kowalski's jobs would be at risk if someone would find out about it. Especially if Kowalski wouldn't love him back. But now it was time to turn the tables. "How about you and Anita?"

Victor looked at Ray with big eyes. "How do you know...?"

"Almost all Secret Agents pairs fall in love with each other and get together."

"Well, I haven't told her yet, and I'm not planning to tell it to her soon. I don't think she is a woman who wants to get married and get children and things like that."

"And you are ready for that?"

"Well, sometimes, I do wonder about having a family and having a wife. But I'm not sure if I would be ready for it." Victor started to chuckle. "Well, at least I'll have a nephew or a niece soon, so I will get a little bit of practice." Suddenly, his communicator went off and Victor answered the call. "I'll be right there, Anita." he said and he stood up. "I'll see you later, Ray. And I want some more details about your mystery lady!"

Ray just shook his head as Victor rushed out of the room. This was going to be a long day. He just hoped that at least one bad guy would attack U.Z.Z., so Victor didn't have the time to ask about the date.

* * *

><p>Victor Volt rushed into the Briefing Room. He thought that he was at U.Z.Z. on time to talk to Ray a little bit about things, but apparently, his communicator was a little bit behind. "I'm sorry I'm late." he said as he walked to his seat. Anita Knight, Professor Professor and his boss Changed Daily were there already. "I don't think my communicator shows the right time."<p>

"It's alright, Victor." said Changed Daily. Like always, his arm rested on the corner of the mantelpiece, waiting patiently to get his briefing started. "I just wanted to start, so you are just in time."

"Thank you, chief." said Victor and he sat down. "Is there any news today?"

"Well, as you know, for reasons of the tightest security, my name is Changed Daily. And today, you may call me..." his communicator bleeped and Changed Daily grabbed it out of his pocket. "Oh...Potted Cyclops."

The agents and the professor started to laugh. "So, Potted Cyclops," Anita started, once she stopped laughing, "are there any signs of attacks from some bad guys?"

"As far as Ray and his team are concerned, there is no threat." said Potted Cyclops. "So I suggest that you two use your time good and get some training."

"Yes sir!" said Victor and Anita and they stand up from their chair.

"Victor, I will call you when I need you for some experiments." said the Bavarian professor and Victor groaned, but he didn't get the chance to defend himself. "Well, you are the best person to test my inventions with." Professor Professor hopped out of his chair. "I'm going to work onto that time-machine. Maybe I can make it work someday soon." and with that, he walked out of the Briefing Room.

Victor looked to his boss. "Can't you tell him that I'm not a labrat?" Ever since he started to work for U.Z.Z., Victor had to do a lot of strange things. From getting his blind spots removed to getting Lucky Leo's DNA. And not to forget that his DNA got mixed up with an evil cat and he got sent down to the Impostors. Even though he worked for U.Z.Z. more than five years, he felt more like a labrat than a Secret Agent.

"I'm sorry, Victor." said Potted Cyclops. "But Professor Professor does what he wants. I can't tell him what he can and cannot do."

Anita grabbed Victor's arm. "Come on, Victor. It's time to get some training." she said goodbye to Potted Cyclops and dragged Victor with her to the Training Room.

Potted Cyclops sighed. There was a time where he was part of a team, a team which looked a lot like Victor and Anita. He and Lucy Woo were a great team. They could stop every villain when they were working. No crime during their shift. That was, until that evil Hamster Man came along and Lucy went with him to his secret hiding place.

Even though they have found Lucy a couple of years ago, Lucy didn't completely forgave him for not looking for her all those years.

But they were friends again, and Potted Cyclops hoped that they could become lovers one day, so they wouldn't be alone at their old age.

* * *

><p>While Potted Cyclops was thinking about his past, Victor and Anita were in the Training Room, practising some of their karate skills.<p>

At a quiet day like that, most agents were practising or having a day exercising outside at one of the training fields.

"So, are you giving up already?" said Victor with a big smile. He was standing in the middle of the room, while Anita was standing a few feet away from him. While Anita was training her attacking skills, Victor was training his defence skills. And most of the time, attack was more exhausting than defence.

"I don't think so!" said Anita. She took a run, ready to attack once again. Once she was close to Victor, she jumped and ready to give him a nice kick.

Only, Victor communicator was a little bit faster than Anita and Victor rushed to his communicator, which lead to a big mistake for Anita. "Hi, Richard! So is..." said Victor, once he answered the call.

"I can't believe you just let me fall!" Anita said while Victor was talking to his communicator. A few moments later, Victor ended the call and he walked to Anita. "You big, lousy, terrible...Why did you leave your communicator on?"

"I'm sorry, Anita." said Victor and he helped her back on her feet. "But I got a call this morning from my mother." he looked into Anita's eyes. "Richard told her that Melissa's contractions started and that it wouldn't take long before I would be an uncle."

Anita gave him a surprised look. Melissa was Victor's older sister and, after an awkward start, also Anita's friend. Melissa was married to Richard Taylor for a little bit longer than a year now and she had been pregnant for more than nine months. "So you just became an uncle then?"

Victor nodded. "I have a little nephew." he said. "Richard didn't tell me the name yet, but I'm allowed to come and visit them this afternoon."

"Well, congratulations." said Anita with a big smile. "But is Melissa getting back to U.Z.Z. or is she going to stay home now?"

Victor laughed. "Apparently, you don't know my sister that well, Anita. Melissa hates it to be home all day, so she will be back as an U.Z.Z. psychologist soon." Victor started to think and then he gave Anita a little smile. "What do you say of going on a date tonight?"

"I beg your pardon?"

"To celebrate the fact that I'm an uncle now." said Victor. "Just getting some dinner somewhere, nothing more."

Anita thought for a few moments. "Well, sure why not?" she said and she gave Victor a little smile. "As long as you pay for dinner."

"Okay, if you are going to pay for lunch." said Victor with a big smile and Anita nodded. "Good, that's a deal, then. Lets go back to practise."

* * *

><p><em>Some of the people don't belong to me. They belong to Tony Collingwood and (C)BBC. <em>

_These people, however, do belong to me: _

_Melissa Volt - Taylor  
>Richard Taylor<br>Arthur Knight_

xxx'jes  
>Eszie<p> 


	2. Chapter 2

**A toast to our future**

**Noon**

It was lunchtime for most of the U.Z.Z. agents. Those who weren't on a exhausting exercise on one of the training fields, had a peaceful day. There were no Impostors, no Reptogators and no T.H.E.M.

"Don't you have any idea what your nephew's name could be?" asked Anita, as she and Victor walked towards the canteen. It was also lunchtime for them, and it was a nice time to catch up with their friends.

Victor shook his head. "Melissa and Richard were very secretive about the name. They told no-one about it." They walked to the line to get something to eat.

After Anita paid for their lunch, they went to one of the many tables. It was already occupied by Agent Kent B. Trusted. "Hey, how are you?" said Kent with his southern accent.

"Wonderful!" said Victor with a big smile, as he sat down onto the seat across Kent. "I just became an uncle."

Kent smiled. "Congrats, and when are you going to start with a family?"

"That depends, how are your boys behaving?" A few weeks after Kent married Dahlia Smith, they found out the they were getting a baby. And almost two years later, they had two boys.

"They are angels." said Kent with a smile. "Only Kevin seems to be a night person, he sleeps almost all day and is awake all evening."

Anita chuckled. "Well, he is a few weeks old. Maybe he'll change later." she said as two blond women sat down at the table as well.

"About who are you talking about?" asked Kowalski and she looked to her co-workers. They had been working together for years now, and she saw them as close friends.

"About my sons." said Kent with a proud smile. There was no way that you could tell that this proud father of two sons was a secret double agent. He still worked for T.H.E.M., but he didn't like it anymore. He got more friends at U.Z.Z. than he had at T.H.E.M, so it was hard to betray his friends. He already told Doctor Doctor that he worked less at U.Z.Z., because his family took more time. He didn't mind that Doctor Doctor threat him to take him off his assignment, it would make things a lot easier for him. But until now, it was still an empty threat and Kent was still a double agent.

"You know, Kent, there is always one thing I've wondered about you." said the other blond agent. It was Eliza Fox. She had been an U.Z.Z. Agent for more than two years now and she still loved her job.

Kent looked up. For a moment, he was afraid that he had been seen near T.H.E.M. or Doctor Doctor, but he hadn't been near them for weeks now. "What is it, Eliza?"

"For what stands the 'B' in Kent B Trusted?"

Before Kent could answer that, Victor gave an explanation. "It means that you can't trust Kent."

"Very funny, Victor Volt." said Kent and he looked back at Eliza. "It stands for 'Benjamin'."

"I can see why you don't use that name." said Kowalski with a teasing smile.

"What about you, _Kowalski_?" said Kent, stretching the name 'Kowalski'. "We don't even _know_ your first name."

"That is because I have a common name." said Kowalski, as Ray sat down at their table too. Even though Ray was the boss of Kowalski, Kent and Eliza, he still had lunch with them, when it was possible. And just like the other agents, he had never heard about her first name. Not even when he had met her for the first time. It was up to the agents if they wanted to use their first or last name.

"Well, what is it then?" asked Anita. She was Kowalski's best friend, but she had never heard about Kowalski's first name either.

"Kyrsten."

Victor and Anita looked to each other. "I don't think I can recall an agent who's called 'Kyrsten'." said Victor and the others nodded.

Kowalski laughed. "Watch this." she stood up and called: "Kyrsten!" A few other women looked up and they waved at Kowalski. She sat down again and looked to her friends. "That's why I let you call me 'Kowalski'. There are too many Kyrstens around here, and just one Kowalski."

"Alright, good point." said Eliza. "But what if you are getting married? We are used to calling you Kowalski."

"I'll just keep my name." Kowalski looked to Anita. "But how about you, Anita? Do you have middle name?"

Anita smiled. "Why do you want to know?" she said.

"Well, we are best friends and best friends tell each other everything."

"I didn't know your first name."

"Touché."

"But you got us wondering as well." said Ray with a smile.

"It's 'Guinevere'." said Anita and she saw her friends surprised looks, she decided to explain her middle name. "Because my father's name is 'Arthur', he figured it would be fun to call his first daughter after the queen who married the old, British and legendary King Arthur. Even though she cheated on him."

"Well, I think it's a beautiful name." said Victor with a comforting smile. Just when he wanted to say more, his communicator started to ring once again. "Victor Volt." he said when he answered the call.

"He's a wanted man today." said Anita with a sigh.

"Is he seeing someone?" asked Ray surprised. The bond between Ray and Victor was almost like brothers. They told each other almost everything that seemed important to them. Like new girlfriends, new releases of comics and games and things like that.

"No, Melissa just got her baby and right in the middle of our training, Richard decided to call Victor."

"With what result?" asked Eliza with a big smile. She could see it all happen. Right in the middle of an intensive training and Victor takes a call.

"I missed Victor and I think I still have some bruises everywhere." said Anita. "But, to make it up to me, he asked me to go on dinner together. To celebrate the fact that he's an uncle now."

Victor turned off his communicator. "I just spoke to Melissa." he said with a big smile. "She's feeling a lot better now, but the doctors are going to keep her for the night, to make sure everything is alright."

"You know, it makes me wonder..." started Kowalski and she looked to Anita. "How big would his smile be when he would become a father?"

The others started to snicker and Victor laughed. "Much bigger." he said and he looked to Anita. "Melissa can't wait to see you too, so do you want to come along with me after work?"

Anita smiled. "I'd love to. I can't wait to see her son." she grabbed her communicator and she stood up. "I just going to call my father, explaining why I'm not able to make dinner tonight." and she walked away, so she could make the call in peace.

"So, when are you going to tell her?" said Kowalski and Victor looked at her.

"Tell who what?"

"Tell Anita that you like her, and not just as a friend or partner at work." the others nodded. They had the feeling that Victor loved Anita, but didn't know if Anita loved Victor or not.

Victor let out a deep sigh. "You know that I just can't tell her that. I don't want to ruin our friendship, not yet."

"Do it quick before someone does." whispered Kent once Anita had finished the call to her father. "You don't want to loose her, do you?"

"Well, my father doesn't mind it." said Anita with a smile once she sat down at the table again. "So at what time do you want to go?"

"I figured we could go to Melissa after work, go back home to get changed and then I would pick you up at... well... let's say around seven."

At that moment, a communicator went off. All six of them checked their communicator, but it was Kent who had to answer a call. "I'll be right home, honey." said Kent and he stood up. "I have to go home, there is something going on in the store and the boys need some attention too."

"Tell Dahlia we will come and visit her soon." said Kowalski. Kent nodded, waved goodbye and walked out of the canteen. "I don't think I would have believed it if someone would have told me that we would be friends with 'Delilah' when she still worked for U.Z.Z. and T.H.E.M." Before Dahlia started her flower shop and got married to Kent, she was known as 'Delilah'. She was a double agent for T.H.E.M. and drugged Victor with a love potion. But things didn't turn out well for T.H.E.M. and both Victor and Dahlia were saved from an unwanted marriage.

"She's a wonderful woman once you know her a lot better." said Anita with a smile. Once the whole thing was over, the women became best friends with Dahlia and the women saw Dahlia mostly when they came to her store to buy flowers. "But I believe that it's been since Kevin is born that I've visited her. I haven't even bought a flower out of her store."

Ray finished his lunch and he stood up. "Well, I have some reports to write." he said and looked to the two blond women. "Don't talk for too long."

"We won't, sir." said Eliza with a smile and Ray walked away. "He is in a good mood today."

Victor smiled. "I've heard he's going on a date tonight." he said. "So maybe he's going with a girlfriend."

Kowalski almost choked on her lunch. "Do you think?" she asked, once she regain her breath again.

"Well, why else would he be so happy?"

Kowalski shrugged. She had no other explanation, than a date with a girlfriend. But that would mean that _she_ was the girlfriend. Kowalski thought for a moment. She really liked Ray. He was different than any other man at U.Z.Z. He was sweet and kind and... _He might be in love with me._

"Are you alright, Kowalski?" asked Eliza, once Kowalski's face turned a little bit pale.

"Yes, I'm alright." said Kowalski and she stood up. "I'd better be going. Otherwise Ray would be on my back."

While Kowalski walked out of the canteen, Eliza brought her face closer to the others. "I get the idea that she has an eye on Ray." she whispered.

Victor and Anita looked to each other. "It could explain why she almost choked when I said something about 'girlfriend'." said Victor. Ray and Kowalski, that could be a great couple.

Anita smiled. "I think they would be a sweet couple. The boss and his..." Anita stopped for a moment. Suddenly, she remembered one of the U.Z.Z. regulations. It was almost impossible to have a lover who works for U.Z.Z. too. "But what about the regulations?"

"I wouldn't worry too much about it." Lucy Woo sat down next to the others. "A Special Agent and an U.Z.Z. Agent can get a relationship, as long as they won't show it in public, at the workspace and their relationship shouldn't interfere with their job." Being an U.Z.Z. Agent for years, Lucy knew the regulations by heart.

She wasn't an Agent any more, of any kind. Lucy was now a Gym Instructor and mostly helped the new agents with the karate training.

"What about..." Victor stopped in the middle of his sentence. Both his parents were U.Z.Z. Agents too, but they got married, so it had to work somehow.

Eliza stood up. "I should be going too, otherwise I'll get the crappy chores today." she said goodbye to the others and walked away.

"I guess we should be going too." said Anita and she looked to Lucy. "We'll see you later this afternoon." Victor and Anita had agreed that they would help Lucy with training the new U.Z.Z. agents.

Lucy smiled. "Take care." she said as the Secret Agents walked away. She knew that the relationship between Victor and Anita could go deeper than just partners. And somehow, she had the feeling that it wouldn't take long before Victor and Anita found out that they loved each other.

* * *

><p><em>Some of the people don't belong to me. They belong to Tony Collingwood and (C)BBC. <em>

_I don't know if the 'B' in 'Kent B. Trusted' would stand for Benjamin, but I figured it sounds right, just like Kowalski's first name. _

_These people, however, do belong to me: _

_Melissa Volt - Taylor  
>Richard Taylor<br>Dahlia Smith - Trusted  
>Eliza Fox<br>Kevin Trusted  
>Dean Trusted<br>Kent's middle name 'Benjamin'  
>Kowalski's first name 'Kyrsten'<em>

xxx'jes  
>Eszie<p> 


	3. Chapter 3

**A toast to our future**

**Afternoon**

"Are you coming, Anita?"

Anita could swear that even a five year old who was going to the zoo couldn't be this enthusiastic as Victor now was. Their workday had just ended and Victor couldn't wait to see his sister and new born nephew. "Yes, I'll be right there. Just give me a second!" Anita was in the changing room, getting changed into something more comfortable than her U.Z.Z. suit.

Outside the room was Victor waiting. He just couldn't wait to get out of there and see his nephew. He already got changed while Anita was talking with Kowalski about something.

The door of the room went open and Anita walked to Victor. She was wearing a purple T-shirt and a pair of jeans. "Finally! Come on, let's go!" Victor rushed towards his sky-bike and didn't even bother to wait for Anita.

Anita just shook her head. "I'll be glad when the holidays start." she said to herself and she walked to her sky-bike. It was the last week before the U.Z.Z. Summer Holiday would start. A whole month no baddies, no dirty jobs and no weird experiments.

"What are you waiting for, Victor?" asked Anita when she sat down onto her sky-bike. Both Victor and Anita didn't have a car. They figured that a sky-bike was more than enough to get around. It was way easier in the mornings, while the other commuters were stuck in the traffic jam.

"It won't start!" said Victor while Anita started her sky-bike. "Can't you take me with you?"

Anita gave him a devilish smile. "I don't know, what do I get in return?"

"What do you want in return?"

"A good restaurant tonight." Anita was curious if she could let Victor do whatever she wanted, as long as he could come with her.

Victor sighed and he turned back to his sky-bike. "I don't have the money for that, Anita!" he whined and he looked at his sky-bike. "I'll try to fix it. Why don't you go ahead?"

Anita let out a deep sigh and she stepped off her sky-bike. "Alright, let me see." she said. Somehow, she couldn't just leave Victor alone with his sky-bike. She got the feeling that it would go completely wrong. She looked at Victor's sky-bike and smiled. "Did you even check your battery?"

"I thought I did..." said Victor and he looked to the dashboard of his sky-bike. "Apparently I did forget it."

Anita shook her head. "If you charge it now, you'll be ready in no time." she walked back to her sky-bike and stepped onto it. "I'll see you at the hospital!" Before Victor could even protest, Anita had started her bike and flew away.

* * *

><p>It didn't take Anita long before she reached the hospital. When she walked into the lobby of the hospital, she saw someone sitting there she didn't expect to be there. "Richard, what are you doing here?"<p>

The blond man looked up and smiled when he saw Anita approaching him. "Hey Anita." he said and Anita sat down next to him. "Where is Victor?"

Anita gave him a smile. "I left him at the U.Z.Z. base. His sky-bike needed to be recharged, so I decided to go to the hospital already."

Richard chuckled. "What did he do to deserve that?"

"He didn't want to take me to a nice, expensive restaurant."

"And therefore you leave him at U.Z.Z.?"

"Well, yes, and for the fact that he let me fall during our training, so he could answer his communicator." Anita looked to Richard. "The next time something happens, please wait until Victor and I are finished with practising."

Richard laughed. "I will." he said and he grabbed his book again. "Why don't you go to Melissa, I'll wait here for Victor."

Anita stood up. "Where is Melissa's room?" she asked as she looked towards Richard. She couldn't wait to see Melissa and her son.

"Second floor, B wing and third door on your right. But I'm not sure if she's still resting." Richard showed Anita his book. "They threw me out of the room a few hours ago, so Melissa could get some rest alone."

"I'll go and see if I can disturb her."

"Good, I'll wait here for Victor."

Anita just nodded and she walked towards the stairs. After a – what she experienced as a nice exercise – run upstairs, she walked to Melissa's room. After she knocked onto the door, she opened it. "Can I come in?" Anita asked once she saw the light-brown haired woman being fully awake.

Melissa Taylor smiled. "Of course you can!" Anita was one of her best friends, despite the fact that she had the same age as Melissa's little brother. She still figures that Anita and Victor would end up together, maybe even soon. "How are you?"

"Well, I'm good." said Anita with a big smile as she sat down onto the edge of the bed. "But how are you? You are the one who just got a baby."

"I'm great. I had some good rest for a couple of hours and that little sweetheart over there didn't make one sound." Melissa nodded towards the little hospital cradle, which was at the other side of the room.

"How was the whole childbirth thing?" There always has been one thing Anita had been curious about. She never really got to know how it was to be in labour and every other things that happens during that.

"It could have been worse." Melissa started. "Around eight o'clock I felt the contractions, but I wasn't sure it was the real deal or not. So Richard called the doctor and he told us that he would come and check. Once he arrived, the contractions got worse and he told me to go to the hospital, because my water didn't break yet. To make a long story short, they broke my water as soon as I was ready to do the hard work. It took some good hours before my little boy was born."

"And how could it be worse?"

Melissa laughed. "You don't want to know how it could be worse. I've heard stories which have been much worse than my own misery."

Anita gave Melissa a little smile and she stood up. "Mind if I take a look at your little boy?" Now she had heard the story, she was very curious about the baby.

"Sure, go ahead. But don't wake him."

"I won't." said Anita as she walked towards the cradle. She looked over the edge and she smiled. The little boy was fast asleep and he looked really cute. He was a little bit bald, but there were already some brown hairs showing. Suddenly, a thought came to her mind. Her son could look like that too, when she and Victor would have a child together. The last year, Anita had been thinking about having a family. For some reason, she couldn't stop thinking about getting children and being married, not specific in that order.

"You and Victor would get a sweet baby once you two got hooked up together." sounded from the bed and Anita turned around. Melissa was one of the few who thought that Victor and Anita would be together someday.

"Victor and I aren't made for each other. To be in love with each other I mean." said Anita as she walked back to the bed. "We are great partners, but I don't think we would be a great couple when we're talking about our private lives."

Melissa shook her head. "Alright, lets do a little test." she said. Even while she was on maternity leave, she was still the psychologist. "When I say a word, you have to say the first thing that comes into your mind."

Anita sighed once she sat down onto the bed. "Okay, lets do that test."

"U.Z.Z."

"Fights."

"Impostors"

"My father"

"Victor Volt..." said Melissa with a devilish.

Anita sighed. There was just one word that came to her mind. "Gentleman."

Melissa laughed. "Gentleman? Victor? I didn't see that coming." she looked to Anita and placed her hand on top of Anita's hand. "You can deny what you want, Anita. But I really do think that you love him."

Anita shook her head. "I don't think..."

"Besides, you two would make cute babies too."

"Who would make cute babies?"

Anita groaned. During her talk with Melissa, she didn't see Victor and Richard coming into the room. _Please don't tell me you've heard everything I just said__,_ she thought and she looked to Victor. "No-..."

"You and Anita." said Melissa with a big smile.

That startled Victor. He thought that he had heard it wrong, but apparently, he hadn't. "How are you Melissa?" he said, trying to avoid being the subject. He walked to the other end of the bed, gave her a hug and whispered in her ear: "I thought we wouldn't talk about me and Anita anymore."

"I'm great Victor. I got some rest now and your nephew was really quiet."

"Why can't we know his name?" asked Victor. He had been waiting more than seven months before he could see his nephew, but he still didn't know the name.

"Take a guess." said Melissa with a big smile. It would take a week before her smile would fade away.

Victor thought for a moment. "Richard Junior."

"Why?" said Richard, who was with his son. He turned towards Victor. "Why would I do that? It would be such a..."

"Cliché?" said Melissa and she looked to Victor. "You know that, even if Richard would say something like that, I wouldn't let my son be called 'Richard Junior'."

"It could be a possibility." said Victor and he walked to his nephew. "Besides, has Mom seen him already?"

"No, and that's why I'm not telling his name to you. First I want to tell it to Mom before I would tell it to anyone else."

Suddenly, Richard's mobile went off and he looked to the screen. "Well, talking about the devil... You're mother is probable waiting in the lobby."

"Richard! My mother is not..."

"I hope you know that it's a saying, dear." said Richard with a big smile and he walked towards her. "Besides, your mother is wonderful.

Melissa chuckled as Richard gave her a kiss. "Well, go and get her. I bet she can't wait to see her first grandson."

"Yes, dear."

Richard walked out of the room and Melissa looked to Anita. "You should find a humble husband like that too, Anita." she said and looked to Victor. "Maybe someone like..."

"Melissa!" groaned Victor and he looked to Anita. "It's the drugs..."

"There were no drugs involved, Victor! I've felt every little pain that sweetheart gave me!" Melissa grabbed Victor's arm and pulled him closer to her. "Tell her before it's too late, Victor." she whispered and she let him go again.

"Okay, I believe you." said Victor, when a sound came from the cradle. "I think he misses his Mommy. Should I bring him to you?"

"Just be careful with him." said Melissa once Victor walked towards the cradle. It wasn't meant to be harsh, but knowing her little brother, everything could happen to her little boy if Victor would pick him up.

"I'll be very careful with him." said Victor once he picked up the little boy.

Anita looked to Victor once he had his nephew in his arms. And it felt like the world melted away. Victor was so careful and wonderful, that he looked so... so... _He looks so handsome, I wonder if he would be like that when he would become a father..._

"He would be even more handsome, believe me." whispered Melissa and Anita looked at her. "Don't let him walk away, Anita."

* * *

><p><em>Some of the people don't belong to me. They belong to Tony Collingwood and (C)BBC. <em>

_I don't know if the 'B' in 'Kent B. Trusted' would stand for Benjamin, but I figured it sounds right, just like Kowalski's first name. _

_These people, however, do belong to me: _

_Melissa Volt - Taylor  
>Richard Taylor<br>Dahlia Smith - Trusted  
>Eliza Fox<br>Kevin Trusted  
>Dean Trusted<br>Kent's middle name 'Benjamin'  
>Kowalski's first name 'Kyrsten'<em>

xxx'jes  
>Eszie<p> 


	4. Chapter 4

**A toast to our future**

**Afternoon 2**

Victor brought his nephew to Melissa. "He is a cute baby. I just hope for the two of you that he'll sleep at night." He was curious if Melissa and Richard would be this happy to have a family once they had some sleepless nights.

Melissa chuckled and she took her son from Victor. "I wouldn't mind it and Richard and I would take turns about who would take care of him at night." Melissa looked from Victor to Anita. "Do you want to hold him?" she asked Anita.

Anita blinked with her eyes. "Are you sure about it? I mean, I don't..." Anita was surprised to hear that Melissa would trust her with the newborn baby. She wasn't any family of Melissa and ...

Melissa interrupted Anita's thoughts. "You'll see, it'll feel natural to you." Melissa placed the baby into Anita's arms and immediate smiled when she saw that her son fell asleep in Anita's arms. "See, he likes you already."

While Anita was holding his nephew, Victor couldn't help but staring at her. He had never seen Anita being so... so motherly and... _She's so beautiful while she's carrying a baby, she would be a great mother._Suddenly, he could see how his life could become one day. If he would tell Anita that he loved her, they could get a family together. Then Anita would be holding his children and things could be wonderful. Victor shook his head._There will be only three words to make that dream come true, _he thought.

While Victor was thinking about his future, Anita started to chuckle and she looked at the baby. Melissa was right, it did feel almost natural to her. "I think you should be lucky with a son like that. And Mildred would defiantly love him."

"I think that too."

"I love him already!" sounded from the door opening and Mildred Volt walked towards the bed. "He looks wonderful and how are you feeling?"

"I'm wonderful and he's healthy." said Melissa and she looked to her mother. "Do you want to hold him, Mom?"

Mildred nodded and Anita placed the baby into Mildred's arms. "What's his name?" asked Mildred, once she was holding her grandson. She had waited some years, but now she finally had a grandchild. Before Melissa and Richard had announced that they were going back to the United Kingdom, Mildred was afraid that she would have to travel to Australia to see her her grandchild. But luckily, they decided to come back and now Mildred had the chance to see her grandson whenever she wanted and even babysit him.

"Thomas Zachary Taylor." said Melissa with a smile and Mildred looked at her. "Thomas will be his nickname."

"Thomas?" said Mildred in surprise. "But you... why did you...?" Thomas wasn't only the middle name of Victor, it was also the middle name of Lionel. Once Victor was born, Lionel figured it would be great to give Victor the same middle name as he had.

"Because Dad is still at the Tenth Dimension and it is a great way to remember him." said Melissa and she looked at Richard. She had her mind made up once she knew that she was pregnant. She was going to name her boy after her father.

"And I always thought that it is a great name for a boy." said Richard with a smile. "So I didn't mind that he would be named after his grandfather."

Mildred smiled. "I know Lionel will like it, once he will come back from the Tenth Dimension." she whispered and she looked to Thomas. "He is such a sweet baby." Suddenly, she looked up to Victor. "Are you going to stay at my place tonight, Victor?"

"I guess so, if Anita and I won't stay till late at the restaurant." said Victor with a smile. He had to spend some nights at his mothers place, because his apartment was being invaded by vermin. "If we make it too late, I'll just go to my night bunker at U.Z.Z."

"I'm glad you already decided that way, because I have to give a karate class tomorrow morning." Mildred had been back at work for a year now, since she figured that staying at home all day was something she didn't want to do with her life. So now she was teaching karate at the local community centre and she loved it.

"I should be going to home now." Anita suddenly said and she looked to Melissa. "I'll come and visit you once the holiday is over." she said and she said goodbye to the others before she walked out of the room.

Once Anita was out of sight, Melissa turned her attention to Victor. "I'll tell you one more time, Victor. Tell her you love her, maybe even tonight while you two are on the date. But tell her before it's too late."

"Melissa, please. I'm a grown man. I know what I..."

"No, Victor, you don't!" said Melissa and she looked at him. "I saw how you looked at Anita when she was holding Thomas. You love her Victor! And you have to tell her before she thinks that you don't love her."

Mildred placed Thomas into his cradle, since he was still fast asleep. "I agree with your sister. I've never seen you so happy since you know Anita. It's clearly obvious that you love her, Victor. And you'll have to tell it to her soon."

Victor let out a deep sigh. "Okay, maybe I will tell her that I love her tonight. But only when the moment is perfect."

"You won't regret it, Victor." 

* * *

><p>Some fifteen minutes after Anita left the hospital, she got back home. She wanted to get a shower and be all dressed up before Victor would be picking her up. Anita wanted to look the best for Victor. This was their first 'date' they had in years. They did go out a few times, but that never felt so formal as it was now.<p>

"Hey Anita, back already?" sounded from the living room.

Anita walked into the living room and was surprised to see her father sitting in his chair. Arthur was an old fashioned man. He had his own chair and he smoke a pipe once or twice almost every day. Just like now. "Dad? What are you doing home so early?" She hadn't expect him to be home now. Maybe around six o'clock, but not now.

Arthur laughed. "I forgot that my class was on a history trip to the US. So I figured I should be going home and relax some before I would make some dinner for myself." he looked to Anita. "So what is that about your date?" The only he had understand about it,was that Anita and Victor were going out on a date, but that was all. He was curious if that would mean that Victor and Anita were a couple now.

"It's not a real date, Dad." said Anita with a sigh and she walked to the couch. She figured she had some time to talk to her father. "It's just... well..." She had no idea how she could explain it to her father. She didn't know if she truly loved Victor, not yet.

"Don't you love, Victor?" asked Arthur and Anita looked to him in surprise. "You love him, don't you?" After being back with Anita for a year now, he had the feeling there was something going on between Victor and Anita.

"Maybe."

Arthur shook his head. "Anita, a 'maybe' won't help you further. And I've never seen anyone being so stubborn as you. I've been back for a year and even I see that you love Victor. You should stop denying and say Victor that you love him."

Anita sat down onto the couch and sighed. "I don't know if I love him, Dad. It's just, I don't know if I should call it love or not."

"You will only know if you love him when you tell him that you love him and he will tell you that he loves you. The first kiss you will share will tell you if the two of you love each other or not."

Anita stood up again and she looked to her father. "Maybe that will happen soon." she said. "I'm going to take a shower." She didn't want to talk about love with her father; it didn't feel natural. "Let me know when Victor is at the door."

Arthur just shook his head when Anita walked out of the room. He had seen the same thing between Lionel and Mildred. They both denied that they loved each other, but a week after Arthur and Mary Lynn were married, Mildred announced to Mary Lynn that she and Lionel were going to get married. Arthur and Mary Lynn knew that it would be a matter of time before there would be a wedding between Mildred and Lionel, only they didn't know it would be that quick.

Suddenly, Arthur's mobile started to ring and he grabbed it. Before he answered the call, he looked to the screen and was surprised to see that his old friend was calling him. "Mildred? Why are you calling me?"

"Didn't Anita tell you? I'm a grandmother now!" sounded from the other side. Mildred and Arthur had been friends for years and they came and visit or called each other every now and then.

"No, she must have forgotten about that while she was thinking about her date. So Melissa has her child then?"

"A boy and they named him Thomas." a silence fell at the other side. "Do you think that it would be nice if Victor and Anita fell in love with each other?"

Arthur chuckled. He remembered how Mary Lynn and Mildred talked about their children and how funny it would be if they would fall in love with each other. "They already love each other, but I think they are afraid to tell it to the other. Just like two other people I once knew."

He heard Mildred laughing. "To be honest, Arthur, Lionel and I were a couple for some time before your wedding. We didn't want to ruin your fun and a week after you two got married, Lionel asked me to marry him." Mildred stopped laughing. "But you are right. I just hope Victor and Anita will tell it to each other soon, before it's too late."

Arthur nodded. "I'm going to hang up, Mildred. I have to make my own dinner tonight. I'll see you later." he hung up and stood up from his chair. His only wish was that Anita would be happy for the rest of her life. And he knew that Victor was the one who could make her happy and he hoped that Victor would stay with Anita for the rest of their lives. 

* * *

><p>While Anita hit the shower and Victor went to his mother's house, at some other part of London, Kyrsten Kowalski walked into her apartment. She had her own apartment since she started to work for U.Z.Z. and she loved it. It was her own place and she had no-one to look after to. But also no-one who would look after her.<p>

It had been a long day at work. Mostly about filling and completing the earlier reports. And it were days like these which made her feel lonely when she would come home and there was no-one there to cheer her up.

Before she could even think of getting a shower, Kowalski sat down onto the couch. This whole day had been a mess. Ever since Ray asked her to go out with him, she couldn't stop thinking about how their date would be. She didn't know if it would be formal or informal. Just to talk about work or about their private lives. All these questions and she didn't have any answer.

Ray was different than any other man she had met. She liked him and sometimes, she had the feeling that she loved him. He was nice and sweet to her and he made her laugh when they were alone after work. Maybe it was love, but she had never been in love before.

Kowalski stood up from her couch. There was only one way to find out about it. Getting showered, pick out a nice dress and go to that date.

* * *

><p><em>Some of the people don't belong to me. They belong to Tony Collingwood and (C)BBC.<em>

_These people, however, do belong to me: _

_Melissa Volt - Taylor  
>Richard Taylor<br>Arthur Knight  
>Mary Lynn Knight<br>Thomas Zachary Taylor_

xxx'jes  
>Eszie<p> 


	5. Chapter 5

**A toast to our future**

**Evening**

Kowalski looked to herself in the mirror. She was wearing a black summer dress and black heels. She didn't wear make-up, in case it was just a business date. Ray wasn't really clear about... well, anything. Where they would be going and about what they should be talking about.

_I hope I'm ready for it, for any kind of date,_ she looked to the clock. It had been already six o'clock, and it wouldn't take long before Ray would be at her door.

Just when she wanted to go to the kitchen to get something to drink to calm her nerves, her doorbell started to ring. _That must be him,_ she thought and she rushed to the front door. She opened the door and she felt her breath being taken away. Ray was standing in front of her, looking quite smashing in his dark blue suit. He was still wearing his sunglasses, but his earpiece was out. "Hi, Ray." she stumbled.

"Hello, Kyrsten." said Ray with a little smile. He couldn't believe his eyes when he saw her standing there, wearing a short black dress. "You look beautiful."

Kowalski blinked her eyes. First he called her Kyrsten for the very first time _and_ he thinks that she looks beautiful! "Thank you." she whispered and she looked at Ray. "Shall we go now?"

Ray's smile grew and he offered her his arm. "Are you ready?"

Kowalski nodded. _I'm curious how this will be,_ she thought once she walked towards Ray's car. She already knew that this would be a night she wouldn't forget so easily, but she didn't know what the night would bring.

===

While Ray and Kowalski just started their date, Victor was still at his mother's place. He was in his room, fuzzing with his tie in front of the mirror when his mother came to the room. "How is it going, honey?" Mildred asked when she walked into the room. It wouldn't be long before Victor would be going on his date with Anita, and Mildred just wanted to talk to him before she wouldn't see him for the rest of the night.

"Alright, I guess." said Victor and he looked to his mirror image. His tie was all messed up and Victor sighed. "I'm just having troubles with my tie." He never wore a tie, but he wanted to look the best for Anita that night. But because he had never wore a tie, he also didn't know how to tie it.

Mildred chuckled and walked towards Victor. "Don't you worry about the tie. Your father didn't know how to handle that even after we were married." Mildred tied the tie and she looked at Victor. "Are you nervous, Victor?"

"No... well..."

Mildred smiled. "Just a little bit?"

"Yes, I think so." Victor looked to the mirror once again. He was wearing black trousers, light-blue shirt and a dark tie. "Won't a tie be too much of it?" he asked.

Mildred shook her head. "You don't know what you want, do you?" she said and Victor removed the tie. "Where are you going to take Anita to?"

"To the 'Golden Lion'." was the answer. 'The Golden Lion' was a restaurant not far away from their neighbourhood. Is had great food and it had a nice atmosphere. A perfect restaurant to have a perfect date.

"You made a great choice, Victor." said Mildred and she looked to her son. "You are going to tell me when you and Anita are having a relationship, don't you?"

Victor laughed. "Of course I will, Mom!" he said. "Also when I'm getting married and when you will get your next grandchild. I wouldn't dare not to tell you the most important things of my life."

"I know, honey." Mildred sat down onto the bed and she looked to her son. "You know that I want at least half a dozen grandchildren." she said with a big smile. "Especially if they are all going to be just like Thomas." Even though Thomas was just a few hours old, he was already a sweet kid. And Mildred couldn't wait to get more grandchildren.

Victor sat down next to his mother. "That could mean that I would get five children if Melissa is going to stick with just one." Having five children would be too much. "I think I'll stick it with two or three, Mom."

"Well, I could be happy with three or four grandchildren." said Mildred and she looked to the clock. "At what time are you going to pick up Anita?"

"I'm going within a few minutes." Victor stood up and he looked to his mother. "Just don't wait up for me."

Mildred smiled and she stood up as well. "Just be careful with my car, Victor." she said and she gave him her car keys.

"Of course I will be careful, Mom. Good night!"

Mildred smiled when Victor walked out of the room. _I wonder how long it would take until they will tell us that they are a couple_...

===

Meanwhile, Ray and Kowalski arrived at their restaurant. Ray parked the car and he helped Kowalski out of the car.

"So, what do you think?" said Ray, once Kowalski was out of the car.

"The Golden Lion?" said Kowalski, sounding very surprised. In the weekends, it was pretty hard to get a seat there.

Ray smiled. "I had booked a table earlier this week." he said as they walked to the entrance. He had made this plan some time ago and because he figured that Kowalski deserved the best of the best, he had booked a place a few days before.

After Ray announced to one of the waiters that he had booked a place, they were brought to their place and they sat down.

"So, what do you mean that you booked it earlier?" said Kowalski. Until now, she was still doubting if it would be a business or a love date. The fact that Ray had booked a table, days in advance, made her feel more certain that this would be a lovers date.

Ray looked at her. "There... it's just..."

Kowalski shook her head. She had never seen her boss so nervous and she knew for sure that this wasn't about U.Z.Z. any more, it was about the two of them. "What is it?"

Ray took a deep breath. "Kyrsten, there is something I want to tell you. I wasn't sure if I was right, but now we're here, I know I am right. Kyrsten Kowalski, I love you."

===

Arthur looked at the clock. It was half past six and he was in the living room, reading the newspaper. It wouldn't take long before Victor would be at the front door.

Arthur placed his newspaper away. He couldn't concentrate right now. He was happy for Anita that she and Victor were going on a date, but she was still _his_ little girl. He had missed many years of Anita's life, so it wasn't so strange that he sometimes couldn't believe that Anita was a grown woman now.

The doorbell rang and Arthur stood up. Anita was still getting herself ready for the date, so Arthur decided to open the door.

Once Arthur had opened the door, Victor was standing right in front of him. "Good evening, Arthur." said Victor with a little smile.

Arthur gave him a smile back. "Good evening, Victor." he said and he let Victor inside. "Anita is still getting ready, but you can wait inside if you want."

"Thank you."

Arthur and Victor walked to the living room and they sat down. A moment of silence fell. Both didn't exactly know what to say. "Victor," Arthur suddenly said, "I don't mind if you two make it late tonight, but I have to go to a lecture tomorrow. So if you two are going to make it late, could you..." Even though it was legally his daughter's house since Anita turned eighteen, Arthur was still her father and Anita respected that. One of the rules was that the other shouldn't come home too late if one had to get up early the next day.

"I'll take her to U.Z.Z. when we make it too late." said Victor. "My mother asked me the same thing. She has a karate class tomorrow morning, so I can't come home late either." Victor looked outside and suddenly he began to smile. "Is it alright if I would keep my mother's car here?"

"Yes, but why are you asking that?"

"Because the 'Golden Lion' is on a few minutes walking distance from here. Plus I wouldn't have to worry about drinking too much." It wasn't like that he and Anita would drink lots of alcohol that night, but when it came down to drink and drive, you could never be sure. So a walk back would be much better than to hope that nothing would happen when they would drive around. And to make things even better, U.Z.Z. H.Q. wasn't far away from the 'Golden Lion' either.

"I'm glad that you are so honest, Victor." said Arthur. "Even though I didn't have to know that you two are going to drink."

Victor smiled. "You don't have to worry, Arthur. We will be fine."

"Why didn't you tell me that you were waiting?" suddenly sounded and Anita appeared into the door opening. She was wearing a knee-length, lilac summer dress and black pumps.

"I didn't want to rush you." said Victor and he stood up. "You look beautiful."

Anita smiled. "You look handsome yourself too." she walked to her father. "Don't wait up for me, Dad. I'll see you tomorrow." she said and she gave her father a hug.

Arthur nodded. "Enjoy your night out, princess." Princess was one of the many nicknames for Anita, but Arthur was the only one who could use it.

Anita smiled and she looked to Victor. "Where are we going to?"

Victor smiled and he offered her his arm. "Just wait and you'll see. The only thing I'm going to say is that it won't be too far away from here."

===

Kowalski blinked with her eyes. "You love me?" she whispered and Ray nodded.

A silence fell between the two of them. Kowalski had to put it all together. Ray, her boss, her supervisor, just told her that he loves her. It was like every little piece fell at its place. The way he looked at her, how he talked to her, everything...

"I can understand it if you need some time." said Ray.

Kowalski smiled. She didn't need more time, she knew exactly what she needed to say. "Ray," she whispered, "as far as I know, I think that I'm in love with you too."

Ray smiled. "Well, we both have all the time of the world..."

Like he came out of nowhere, a waiter stood still next to their table, holding a serving tray with a champagne bottle and two glasses. Without saying a word, the waiter poured some champagne into the glasses and he left again in silence.

Kowalski chuckled and she grabbed a glass. "I don't think that we would need the all the time, but some time would be nice."

Ray smiled and he grabbed a glass too. Suddenly, he noticed two familiar people walking into the restaurant. "Aren't that Victor and Anita?" he said and Kowalski turned around. Victor and Anita did walk through that door of the restaurant, but they didn't seem to notice them. Not that it mattered, in fact Kowalski was glad that Victor and Anita were only focussing to themselves.

"What a coincidence." she said with a big smile and she turned back. "But I do hope we won't be talking about them the whole time, are we?"

"No, we won't." Ray raised his glass. "I would say: To our future."

"To our future."

* * *

><p><em>Some of the people don't belong to me. They belong to Tony Collingwood and (C)BBC.<em>

_These people, however, do belong to me: _

_Arthur Knight_

_I'm still not sure about Kowalski's first name, but it sure does sound right to me. _

xxx'jes  
>Eszie<p> 


	6. Chapter 6

**A toast to our future  
>Evening 2<strong>

It was some minutes after eight and Victor and Anita were enjoying a night out together that night. And it wasn't just in any place. Oh no, it was even better. They had dinner at 'The Golden Lion'.

Anita still couldn't believe it. She was at 'The Golden Lion', together with Victor. 'The Golden Lion' had a reputation of good food and Anita was curious about that. Even though she didn't live far away from the restaurant, she had never been there to have dinner. "So, why did you take me here?" she asked Victor.

Victor smiled. "Because I had to make it up to you, didn't I?"

Anita chuckled. So he did keep his word to her and took her to a nice place, even though she didn't help him with his sky-bike. "Yes, and I'm glad that you took me to this place."

"But...?"

"No 'buts', I am really happy to be here with you."

Victor gave her a devilish smile. "I'm just teasing you, Anita." he said and he looked to her glass. "Should I refill it?"

Anita looked to her champagne glass. It was empty now and Victor had already refilled it once. "Well, alright. But not completely full." Afraid what would happen when she would drink too much, she didn't want to take any risks.

Victor nodded and he filled half of her glass with champagne. "Anita," he said, while he was refilling his glass, "do you want children?"

Anita blinked. "Why... What makes you ask that?"

"Well, I am an uncle now and I'm just curious what you think of children." He was still happy about the fact that his sister got her baby that morning.

Anita smiled. "Well, I guess I want children. But I want to get married first and then I'll see. "

"How many children?"

"Two, maybe three, but four would be the maximum."

Victor smiled. "I wouldn't go further than three. But I need a wife first to get children." When he saw how Anita looked at him, he gave her a apologizing smile. "I didn't mean it like that. I really want to have a wife and children."

Anita grabbed her glass and took a sip. "You know, Victor, it's been some time that we have gone out together."

"I think we can say a year or so since our last... Well..." Victor wasn't sure if he could call it a date. It was together with his mother, sister and his brother-in-law. So it wasn't technically a date.

"It was a great dinner with your family, Victor." said Anita. "But it was indeed the last thing we did together, outside work." It had been more than a year ago when they had that dinner. It was really great to meet the complete Volt-family, but it wasn't technically a date.

"But we did have fun, didn't we?"

Anita smiled. "Yeah, we did have fun." It was a nice night out and Victor and Anita even had some time alone, just to talk about things. "We should do this more often, Victor."

Victor nodded and he raised his glass. "Well, to the future then."

Anita chuckled and she clinked her glass to his. "To the future." 

* * *

><p>Kowalski and Ray just got their dinner and they started eating. While they were waiting for their dinner, they had the chance to talk a little bit about each other's lives. Ray found out that Kowalski would love to become a Secret Agent one day. Not that she didn't like to be an U.Z.Z. Agent, but being a Secret Agent was her goal.<p>

"I hope you'll become a Secret Agent soon." said Ray with a little smile. "You really deserve it." He hated that she wouldn't be in his team any more, but he did whatever he needed to do to support his love of his life.

Kowalski laughed. "You're not saying that only because I love you, do you?"

Ray started to laugh with her. "Of course not. You are one of the best agents I have."

"_One _of the best?"

"Yes, Kent is really working hard now too, ever since he's married to Dahlia."

Kowalski nodded. "That is true." Kent had never worked that hard before he saw Dahlia again. It was like she changed him, in many ways. "You know, I really should go and visit her. I haven't seen Dahlia and her boys for some time."

Ray smiled. "Kyrsten, would you like to have a family?" Ray himself, he would love to have a family. A few kids, maybe a dog and a nice house, that's all he wanted someday.

"Yes." said Kowalski with a big smile. "I can't wait to be a mother someday. And hopefully soon too."

"Well, we need to know first if we truly love each other before we rush into things." said Ray and he stood up.

"Oh no, you are not going to..." Kowalski's eyes became big and her mind started spin around. _This is too soon, he can't ask me now! We barely know each other!_

"Going to what?" asked Ray when he stood still next to her. He knew exactly what the love of his life was thinking, but he wanted to hear it from her.

"To ask me..."

Ray didn't let her finish her sentence. "If you love me." he bended towards her and gave her a kiss. It was a true lovers kiss. Fireworks, butterflies, everything that a man and a woman in love should feel was what they felt at that time. And that's when they knew it for sure; they loved each other for real.

"I love you, Ray." whispered Kowalski after the kiss.

"I love you too, Kyrsten." 

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, Victor and Anita got their dinner. While Victor was enjoying his vegetarian meal, Anita was enjoying her fish and chips.<p>

"I still can't believe why people should eat meat." said Victor while he looked at Anita's plate. Of course, his own mother wasn't a vegetarian either, but he still kept wondering about why someone would eat meat. He always felt sorry for the animals who turned into meals for the people.

"Believe me, Victor. It's sometimes good to have something fishy on your plate." said Anita with a chuckle. But immediately, she regretted what she just said. _Why would I make a remark like that? It wasn't even funny..._Anita looked to her fish. It was a good piece of fish, so she couldn't understand why she would make a joke about that. "I'm sorry, Victor. I didn't know..."

Victor laughed. "Don't you worry, Anita. I thought it was a good reply." He'd never expect that Anita would be like that, but it was funny to hear things like that from her.

Anita shook her head. "It's the champagne that's talking for me now, I'm afraid." Besides the fact that it had been a long time since she and Victor did something together outside work, she hadn't been gone out at all. Work asked too much of her spare time and she never had been the outgoing person anyway. "I don't think I should be drinking more."

"Well, just eat something and you'll be much better." said Victor with a smile. He had the same experience before. But in his case, after some dinner, you would feel 'normal' again. "Beside, you just finished your third glass. I always thought you could handle more."

"Haha, very funny, Victor. But apparently, I can't." Anita took a bite of her fish and she looked at him. "What about you? Can you handle more?"

"Is that a bet, Miss Knight?" said Victor, his voice sounding very much defiant. He was curious if Anita would bite.

"No bets, Victor." Anita growled at him and Victor started to laugh. Anita sighed. "Alright, you had me, now what?"

"Let's just finish our dinner, okay?"

"Okay." 

* * *

><p>"Would it be too early to ask if you would come with me for some coffee or something like that?"<p>

Kowalski looked at Ray. They just finished their coffee and Ray was waiting for the waiter to bring the bill, so he could pay and they could leave. But Kowalski didn't want to be left alone already. She wanted to be together with Ray a little bit longer.

Ray looked back at Kowalski. That was the last thing he'd expected from her. An invitation to her apartment. "I don't know, Kyrsten. As long as it won't go further than drinking coffee." Ray wanted to be sure if their love was real and if they really would be together for the rest of their lives before he would take the next step.

Kowalski laughed. "No, it won't. But I always think it's nice to have a little talk in private. You know, together on the couch, just talking or just holding each other." She couldn't wait to be alone with Ray. All the things they could talk about, being romantic without showing it to the rest to the world. That was all she wanted right now.

Ray smiled. He had to admit that it would be nice to hold the woman you love near. "Well, in that case, I'd love to come along." he looked to his watch. They had been there for almost four hours right now; it had to be one of the longest dates, already. "Would you believe me if I would tell you it was ten thirty already?"

"Are you serious?" Ray nodded. "That's amazing. Did it take them that long to bring us the coffee?"

"No, it took us that long to order something." said Ray with a smile. They had been talking about so many things, that they forgot to look at their menu and pick out a meal every time the waiter was at their table. "But we did enjoy it, didn't we?"

Kowalski smiled. "Well, I did enjoy it. What do you think of our date."

"I loved it." whispered Ray, once waiter arrived at their table. He paid the bill and he looked at Kowalski. "So, shall we go now?"

Kowalski nodded and she stood up from her chair. Just when she wanted to put on her coat, she noticed something. "Aren't that Victor and Anita?"

Ray looked to the door of the restaurant. And indeed, Victor and Anita were both walking through the door, getting out of the restaurant. But something seemed a little bit odd about them. "Do they look drunk to you?"

Kowalski laughed. Victor and Anita were walking like two giggling, almost like drunk teenagers. "I think they're hammered, yes." she shook her head. She had never seen Anita hammered, let alone that she had ever seen Anita drunk. "Well, they will be alright, or at least I hope they will be alright."

Ray nodded and he walked towards Kowalski. "Shall we go, miss?" he offered her an arm and Kowalski accepted it. "I can't wait to see your apartment."

Kowalski chuckled. "You'll love it." she said and they walked outside. "But what about work?"

"As long as we don't show the others that we love each other, it isn't a problem."

Kyrsten smiled and she stopped in front of Ray's car. "I'm glad about that." she said. "I don't want to quit working for you just yet." she leant forward and she gave Ray a kiss on his cheek. "I love you."

Ray gave her a big smile back and kissed her on her lips. "I love you too." He looked at her. "Shall we have a toast at your place too?"

"To what do you want to toast to?"

"To our love," Ray opened the car door for Kowalski, "and to what the future may bring."

"I couldn't agree more..."

* * *

><p><em>It took me forever to finish this, but I managed to do it.<br>_

_The only thing that does belong to me is Kowalski's first name 'Kyrsten', because they never revealed Kowalski's first name.  
>The rest belongs to Tony Collingwood &amp; (C)BBC<em>

_xxx'jes  
>Eszie<br>_


End file.
